Piaget's clinical experiments: A critical analysis and study of their implications for science teaching

This paper presents a microcomputer‐based diagnostic system (MBDS), designed for identifying students’ conceptions in the domain of heat and temperature. The MBDS consists of three major parts: the input unit, the rule‐base and the students’ knowledge profile. These parts are described and illustrated. In addition, the four phases of developing the MBDS‐‐the preliminary empirical study, the construction of the rule‐base, the production of the system, and its evaluation‐‐are briefly described.     

Academic freedom in germany before and after 1933

A Nation at Risk (NAR; National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) had a tremendous impact on what schools do and has since spawned other reforms that attest to the report's ongoing influence. Coming in the wake of a decade of economic stagnation and import pressures from overseas producers, the authors of NAR blamed these problems on schools. In this article, we show that there was little justification for this conclusion, then or now. Although education clearly plays a role in the economy, it is only one of many factors. We find little evidence that there is a large or growing mismatch between worker skills and employer demands. Moreover, the American work force and economy continue to be among the most productive in the world. We should improve our schools and our economy, but real improvement will only occur when their problems are correctly diagnosed.     

Computer Acquisitions in Higher Education: Managing a Symbiotic Relationship

Computer purchases and acquisitions by institutions of higher education are important for their magnitude, the differences that distinguish their acquisitions from those of other buying units, and the benefits that both the university and the vendor enjoy from them. This article reports on the results of a study of these differences and benefits, and provides a normative model of behavior that enables both purchasers and vendors to manage their symbiotic relationship.     

Editorials

A Handbook of Public Speaking (Revised Edition). By John Dolman, Jr. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1934; pp. vii, 165; $1.

Legal Reasoning and Briefing. By Jesse Franklin Brumbaugh. Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill Co., 1917; pp. xvi, 775; $5.

Legal and Public Speaking. By Jesse Franklin Brumbaugh. Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill Co., 1932; pp. xiii, 1049; $5.

Winning Orations of the Interstate Oratorical Association, 1933 Edited by I. M. Cochran. New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 66; $1.

Modern Short Stories for Oral Interpretation. Edited by M. Pearl Lloyd and John Tryon Marshman. Boston: The Expression Company, 1933; pp. viii, 306.

Some Exercises in the Sounds of Speech. By C. C. Bell. Cambridge: at The University Press; New York: The Macmillan Company; 1933; pp. viii + 94; $1.25.

The Theatre on the Frontier. By William G. B. Carson. Chicago: the University of Chicago Press, 1932; pp. 361; $5.

The Year Book of College Oratory. Vol. V, 1933. Edited by Evan E. Anderson, New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 364; $2.

Poet's Gold. By David Ross. New York: The Macaulay Co., 1933; pp. 288; $2.

Intercollegiate Debates, Vol. XIV, Edited by Egbert Ray Nichols. New York: Noble &; Noble, 1933; pp. 529; $2.

Habits: Their Making and Unmaking. By Knight Dunlap. New York: Liveright, Inc.; 1932; pp. 326.

Psychology Applied. By George W. Crane. Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 1932; pp. 586; $4.     

Old books

The Orator's Assistant. By Alexander Thomas. “Worcester, Mass.: Alexander Thomas, 1797.

The Pious Instructor. By Daniel Cooledge. “Walpole, N. H.: Charter and Hale, 1806.

Le Maitre des Orateurs Populaires, Etude sur la prédication de Jesus. Par Auguste Bouvier. Paris: Librarie Fischbacher, 1892: pp. 88.     

Stressors, anxiety, acculturation and adjustment among international and North American students

The acculturation process generally contributes greatly to stress and anxiety levels among international students. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to see whether international students experience more anxiety, irritability, and stress from being apart from family and friends, pressure from school, difficulties with language, work and finances than students with permanent US residency, and (2) to investigate the same stressors in groups within the international student population. Surveys were distributed to 246 students aged 17–51 at an ethnically diverse community college in Southern California, US. Analysis of variance was conducted to investigate group differences between students: permanent US residents vs. international students, and, permanent US residents vs. European and Asian students, respectively. No significant differences were found between international students and students with permanent US residency. However, when the international student population was sub-grouped by above cultural regions a different pattern emerged. Difficulties of not being able to work and of socially related problems were perceived as more severe for the European and the Asian groups, while finance problems were hard for all three groups. The variable of language difficulties was harder for Asian students, while that of stress of being apart from family was harder for students from Europe. Findings are not only congruent with prior research results on international students but also demonstrate that international students with culturally diverse needs should not be considered as one homogenous group. It is suggested that educational systems need to properly adapt in order to accommodate international students’ unique cultural needs.     

A conversation of teachers: In search of professional identity

The authors describe teacher professional identity as lived experience in the context of educational change. Adopting activity theory and its genesis in cultural historical theory (Stetsenko &; Arievitch, 2004) as a framework, the article discusses the way teachers see themselves as professionals and how they compose their identities in schools, the educational space, which is their workplace. Activity theory is utilised as the broad theoretical lens and the design type and methodology are discussed accordingly. The school and the classroom are activity systems (Engeström, 1991), and social and semiotic ecosystems (Lemke, 1995). It is therefore in the tensions within the activity system that we capture and represent a constructed teacher conversation, composed of the voices of three social actors on an imaginary social stage, which is the empirical text of the article. Main findings speak to multiple roles, struggling voice and forging professional identity in the changing educational landscape.     

Implications of the Golden Rule Settlement for Test Construction

The authors present the results of an application of Golden Rule procedures to items of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Using item response theory, their analyses indicate that the Golden Rule procedures are ineffective in detecting biased items and may undermine the reliability and validity of tests.